Maternity garment



y 0, 1963 F. F. SMITH 3,099,014

MATERNITY GARMENT Filed May 20, 1960 INVENTOR. FLORENCE E SMITH A TTORNE Y United States Patent 3,399,614 MATERNITY GARMENT Florence F. firnith, 315 N. Tejon, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Filed May 20, 1960, Ser. No. 30,637 Claims. (Cl. 2-221) This invention relates to a new and improved article of manufacture and more specifically relates to an adjustable design and construction for maternity garments and the like so as to make the garments conformable for normal wear, also.

In the design and manufacture of maternity garments, it is recognized that it is well known to form such articles in such a way as to enable frontal or side adjustment for wearing before, during and after pregnancy. It is customary however in presently known garments to require a number of separate fastening elements, folds or pleated arrangements used alone or in conjunction with such fastening elements, but such arrangements have either been found to be somewhat bulky or in the alternative located away from the particular area of the garment which most requires adjustment, that is, in the abdominal portion. In the present invention it is proposed to eliminate the use of special fasteners, folds and pleats, and in general to eliminate a number of time-consuming alterations, but instead to provide for a single localized alteration each time such becomes necessary and at the exact area of growth with no outward change in appearance or construction of the garment, and further in such a way as to permit most accurate increase in size of the garment to conform to changes in the contour of the body of the wearer with little or no effect upon the appearance of the rest of the garment.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome a number of drawbacks and disadvantages in the design and construction of maternity garments, such as skirts, dresses, blouses and slacks, and in doing so, to make provision for accurate and close control in the adjustment of expansion of the garment without noticeably affecting its exterior appearance and construction.

It is another object to provide for a garment which in exterior construction and appearance correspods with conventional designs yet which is comformable for use as a maternity garment through a hidden, front seam construction which is specially formed to permit expansion as desired to accurately conform to the contour of the wearer.

It is a still further object to make provision in a maternity garment for a special front seam construction which eliminates bulging, folding or separate fastening elements while at all times maintaing the same exterior appearance and construction of the dress, except for size, with a minimum of adjustment and which can be easily returned to its original size and appearance.

The above and other objects of the present invention will become more readily understood from the following detailed description taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front view illustrating a first embodiment of the present invention generally characterized by a front seam construction which incorporates a series of generally vertical stitching rows;

FIGURE 2 is a back view of the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a section view taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 1 and illustrating in more detail the front seam construction;

FIGURE 4 is a front view illustrating a second embodiment of the present invention which is generally characterized by incorporating a novel fnont seam flap construction; and

FIGURE 5 is a section view taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is shown by way of illustrative example in FIGURES l to 3 a first embodiment of the present invention designed and constructed in a unique way so as to have the appearance of a conventional garment, such as slacks, a

dress or skint incorporating therein a novel front seam construction to permit accurate transverse expansion of the garment for maternity Wear. Specifically, the front seam construction is designed for a single localized alteration or expansion of the garment through the waist and abdominal portion only; only, and especially in early stages of pregnancy, such expansion will have little or no outward effect on the appearance of the dress and can later be return to original size against through a single alteration. In the form illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 3, the present invention will be described in detail with referonce to a skirt construction, as at 19, which is broadly comprised of a series of preferably four panel section-s 12 which are sewn together to form a back center vertical seam 13, side vertical seams 1'4 and a front center seam 15. In addition, the back center seam includes a lower pleated construction 16, commonly referred to as a walking pleat, and one of the side seams 14 is shown provided with a separable fastening element adjacent to the waistline, this being preferably in the form of a zipper 17. Moreover, a belt 18 is connected along the front portion of waistband 19 for a purpose to be described. In any event, the skirt construction as hereinbefore set forth is in all respects from an outward appearance that of a conventional basic skirt construction and it is emphasized that in no way is the skirt modified in appearance for conventional :or normal use notwithstanding the fact that it is actually constructed for use under special circumstances, such as maternity or post-operative wear.

In accordance with the present invention, it is a principal feature thereof to permit selective expansion or contraction of the size of the skirt, specifically through the manner of construction of the front panel sections at the front seam 15. It will be noted that the seam 15 is located at the front center of the skirt and this seam is conventionally formed by sewing the front panels along a straight vertical stitching row. From this point of connection, each front panel section 12 of the present invention is pre-formed to include a continuing flap 2% which extends inwardly from the center seam 15 to lie fiat along the inner surface of its respective panel. Accordingly, together the front panels provide a pair of flaps 20 forming a continuation from the center seam and each flap, as best seen from FIGURES l and 3, is relatively wide, as at 21, across the waist band 19 and upper abdominal portion of the skirt, then curves inwardly in downwardly tapering fashion, as at 22, into a relatively narrow strip 2,3 at the lower portion of the skirt. From the center seam :15 to the marginal contour of the flaps as just described, a series of evenly spaced, downwardly tapering stitching rows 25 serves to connect the flaps together at predetermined intervals in order to permit selective expansion of the skirt especially throughout the abdominal port-ion. As is made apparent particularly from FIGURE 1, the spacing between the stitching rows 25 is determined in a way such that the rows are uniformly spaced from one another between the center seam and marginal contour of the flaps. Accordingly each of the rows will similarly extend on a line generally corresponding with the contour of the flaps to define therebetween a series of segments 26 of substantially equal area, being relatively 'wide at the top and curving upwardly toward the lower margin.

To employ the front panel or seam construction as described, the wearer during the period of gestation may increase the transverse size of each of the front panels adjacent to the original center sem 15, merely by servering the center seam so that a segment 26 of each flap 2%) next to the original center seam will move outwardly along the front panel portion on each side of the seam, and for example the first vertical stitching row 25' will move into place as the center seam. Throughout successive alter-ations it will be seen that the segments 26 from each flap will move outwardly and actually become an outer part of the front panel as corresponding stitching rows move into place to form the center seam. As determined by the marginal contour of the flaps their downwardly tapering configuration may correspondingly limit or decrease the degree of expansion of the skirt toward the lower end thereof during each alteration, as desired.

Upon performing each alteration by severing the existing seam and replacing it with the next adjacent stitching row, the crease formed at each seam may easily be ironed out so that in exterior construction and appearance, the skirt will remain the same. In this connection, the belt 18 may be provided with any suitable adjustable fastening elements such as buttons 28, and the belt when used may easily be re-centered following each alteration by reattachment of the buttons 28 at equal distances from the center seam 15-. After pregnancy, for example, the skirt may be returned to its original size merely by returning the flaps inwardly either to their original disposition or some intermediate disposition, it only being necessary to maintain the center scam in the new relation on a straight vertical line equidistant from the side seams followed by reattaching the belt 18. Since the flaps are sewn together at all times it is to be noted that return to original relation is made relatively easy, and by close inspection it is possible to determine without necessity of remeasuring the desired placement of the stitching rows 25.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, the exterior construction of the skirt is essentially the same as that shown and described with reference to FIG- URES 1 to 3. Again, front panel sections 12 are specially formed with flaps 30 forming inward continuations of the front panels from center seam 15'. However, each of the flaps 30, instead of continuing in a common direction, is each doubled back over its respective front panel to lie flat along the inner surface of that panel, to the end of minimizing to an even greater extent the bulging of the skirt. The flaps are formed similarly to the flaps of the first embodiment to be of generally oval-shape throughout the abdominal portion, and specifically to have a marginal contour which is initially relatively wide as at 21 adjacent to the waistband then curved downwardly and inwardly therefrom throughout the abdominal portion, as at 22 into a relatively narrow strip 23' continuing to the lower edge of the skirt. Alteration is carried out in this form in essentially the same manner as in the form of FIGURES 1 to 3 by first severing the center seam 15' then successively moving segments of the flap adjacent to the center seam outwardly to assume a part of the front panel sections. However, it is then necessary to resecure the front panel sections along a new center seam, first insuring that the flap segments have moved out corresponding distances and along a course generally corresponding to the marginal contour as at 21', 22 and 2.3" of the flaps. In this connection, guides may be provided in the form of markings along the surfaces of the flaps 31} adjacent the inner surface of the front panel sections which would correspond to the even spacing formed by the vertical stitching rows 25 of the first form. Nevertheless, with or without the markings, the marginal contour of the flaps provides an easy guide also for the tailor or wearer to determine the contour of each pair of segments moved into place along the front panels, followed by sewing together to form the new center seam, 'As before, the belt 18 may be adjusted through the fastening elements 25 i to correspond with the alteration of the flap construction.

Preferably, in the form shown on FIGURES 4 and 5 the top marginal portions of the flaps 36 are each connected as at 32 to the waist-band 19 and this may be accomplished through the use of suitable clips or merely by two or three stitches interconnecting the margins of the flaps and the waistband above the front panel sections. Through this simple construction and when necessary to let out the flaps in accordance with increase in size during pregnancy, it is not necessary to restitch the flaps along the center seam especially when relatively long blouses or frocks are worn with the skirt. Instead, simply by forming a new crease at the juncture of the flaps in their new relation along the center seam the front panel sections will effectively remain together, it being understood, that the original seam 15' is left in the skirt throughout the intermediate and lower end thereof below the abdominal portion. Thus, the fiap construction shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 provides a simple and easy way of expanding the front panel sections without necessity of constant restitching to form a new center scam in each alteration.

It will become evident from the foregoing that the flap construction as described in connection with either form is further conformable for use in slacks, or in a dress, or moreover in a combined skirt and blouse construction. When using either with a combined skirt and blouse, or in a one piece dress, the same principle applies that the marginal contour of each flap will begin in relatively wide portions at the waistline then curve or taper away from the waistline, downwardly throughout the abdominal pontions and upwardly throughout the midriff so as to permit corresponding increase in size of the front panels in accordance with changes in contour of thewearer. Broadly, whenever used, it will be noted that a side zipper or similar fastening construction may be employed along the side seam which is normally not possible in maternity garments; yet, with the flap constructions of the present invention the garment is formed in essentially the same manner as that of a conventional skirt so as to permit use of means such as side zippers together with back walking pleats, the only modification being in the centralized area along the center seam. Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, through the provision of a flap forming a continuation of each respective front panel section from the center seam for inward extension therefrom and by specially contouring the margins of the flaps in the manner described, merely by severance of the center seam and limited outward movement of corresponding segments of the flaps into a new position forming a part of the front panel sections it is possible to accurately increase the size of the garment to conform exactly to the contour of the wearer, especially during pregnancy.

It is accordingly to be understood from the foregoing that various changes and modifications may be made in the construction and design of the skirt apart from that of the flap constructions without in any way departing from the scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims and reasonable equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A garment conformable for conventional and maternity wear comprising panel portions connected to define a number of spaced vertical seams including a pair of front panels, means adjustably securing said front panels together in predetermined relation to form a center separable seam therebetween each front panel including a flap forming a continuation of each front panel at the center seam for inward extension therefrom, said flaps each being dimensioned to be relatively wide throughout the abdominal portion and to curve downwardly and inwardly therefrom, and corresponding segments of said fiaps being connectable together at the center seam to increase the width of said front panels to conform to increases in size of the wearer.

2. A garment conformable for conventional and maternity wear comprising panel portions connected to define a number of spaced vertical seams including a pair of front panels secured together in predetermined relation to define a center separable seam with each front panel includ ing a flap forming an inward continuation thereof from the center seam and lying fiat along its respective panel, said flaps having marginal contours converging downwardly substantially throughout the abdominal portion, and separable means interconnecting said flaps at correspondingly spaced intervals along the center seam to gradually increase the width and to form a part of said front panels to conform to increases in size of the wearer.

3. A garment according to claim 2 wherein said flaps are normally joined together by evenly spaced stitching rows, and the rows extending substantially parallel to the marginal contours of said flaps.

4. A garment conformable for conventional and maternity wear comprising panel portions connected to define a number of spaced vertical seams including a pair of front panels stitched together in predetermined relation having a center separable seam therebetween and each front panel including a flap forming a continuation thereof from the center seam for inward extension therefrom, said flaps being dimensioned together to be of generally arcuate shape, and separable securing means connecting in succession correspondingly increasing arcuate shaped widths of said flaps at the center seam to gradually increase the width of said front panels to conform to increases in size of the wearer thereby, to provide for gradual expansion through a succession of alterations in each of which corresponding arcuate portions of the flaps are secured together to define the center seam.

5. A maternity skirt comprising panel sections secured together along vertical seams including a back center seam, side seams with at least one having a separable fastening element and two front panels secured together to define a center separable seam, each panel including a flap defining an inward continuation thereof from the center seam and each flap being relatively narrow in width from the lower margin of the skirt to the abdominal portion then curving outwardly through the abdominal portion to the waistline in the form of relatively wide portions, and removable fastening means securing said flaps in flattened overlapping relation to a respective panel to provide for increases in Width of said front panels along the center seam to include corresponding widths of the relatively wide flap portions in accordance with the gradual growth of the wearer during pregnancy.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,009,262 Schneider Nov. 21, 1911 2,021,711 Abrams Nov. 19, 1935 2,189,332 Spang Feb. 6, 1940 2,521,409 Richony Sept. 5, 1950 2,568,545 Hill Sept. 18, 1951 2,638,597 Troxell May 19, 1953 2,661,477 Gilbertson Dec. 8, 1953 

1. A GARMENT CONFORMABLE FOR CONVENTIONAL AND MATERNITY WEAR COMPRISING PANEL PORTIONS CONNECTED TO DEFINE A NUMBER OF SPACED VERTICAL SEAMS INCLUDING A PAIR OF FRONT PANELS, MEANS ADJUSTABLY SECURING SAID FRONT PANELS TOGETHER IN PREDETERMINED RELATION TO FORM A CENTER SEPARABLE SEAM THEREBETWEEN EACH FRONT PANEL INCLUDING A FLAP FORMING A CONTINUATION OF EACH FRONT PANEL AT THE CENTER SEAM FOR INWARD EXTENSION THEREFROM, SAID FLAPS EACH BEING DIMENSIONED TO BE RELATIVELY WIDE THROUGHOUT THE ABDOMINAL PORTION AND TO CURVE DOWNWARDLY AND INWARLDY THEREFROM, AND CORRESPONDING SEGMENTS OF SAID FLAPS BEING CONNECTABLE TOGETHER AT THE CENTER SEAM TO INCREASE THE WIDTH OF SAID FRONT PANELS TO CONFORM TO INCREASES IN SIZE OF THE WEARER. 